Outdoor Industry  June 18, 2019

Outdoor industry grapples with diversity, inclusion challenges

DENVER — At the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in February, Camber Outdoors executives made a bold proclamation: The company would embark on a “first-of-its-kind” effort to boost diversity equity and inclusion within its workforce and called on the whole industry to follow suit.

There was just one problem: That effort was not actually the first of its kind.

Teresa Baker, founder of the African American Nature and Parks Experience, launched a similar push for inclusion in 2018 called the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge. Camber, a Boulder-based organization aimed at expanding career opportunities within the industry, came under fire on social media with posts accusing the organization of ignoring diversity efforts led by people of color.

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Camber apologized for the incident, and former CEO Deanne Buck resigned.

“It humbles and pains us to now know how deeply our announcement hurt courageous, committed people who are fighting for equity and inclusion, especially people of color and those in the outdoor industry,” the company said in a February statement. “When we framed and announced the pledge, we failed to respect and acknowledge the myriad brave and groundbreaking efforts in the outdoor industry, including Teresa Baker’s work and Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge.”

This incident is indicative of the outdoor industry’s ongoing struggle to diversify its labor force and customer base.

A group of women, including Baker and Camber interim executive director Diana Seung, gathered Tuesday at 2019 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver for a panel discussion about precisely that issue.

“We made a huge mistake, and we can’t take it back,” Seung said. “We own it.”

The silver lining of the Camber incident earlier this year is that it provides an opportunity for constructive dialog, she said.

That dialog is not always easy, nor is it comfortable.

“This work is hard as hell — that’s been my experience,” Baker said.

The key is to start by focusing on “compassion and humanity,” she added.

For employers in the outdoor industry, diversifying the workforce is both a bottom-up and top-down effort.

“When boards and decision-making groups don’t represent what this country looks like, it’s a problem,” Baker said.

But in order to be more inclusive in the boardroom, companies have to do better hiring a more diverse rank-and-file workforce.

“I don’t know how many case studies and research has to be done to show us all of the statistics about the benefits of having a more equitable and diverse workforce,” Seung said. “… It’s really about looking at the differences within others and what they bring to the table.”

It is in the industry’s best interest to cater to a more-diverse consumer set, panelists agreed.

“The demographics have shifted in the country,” Baker said. “If you don’t shift with that demographic” the customer base will dwindle.

Seung, echoing Baker’s call to reach out to different kinds of consumers, recalled an incident at a past Outdoor Retailer event when she was the sole woman in a group of male industry executives lamenting their struggles to appeal to female customers.

“I said, ‘Well where are the women in your organization, and why aren’t they sitting at this table?’” Seung said. “There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity for us — not just on the gender front but in regard to all different kinds of diversity.”

One of the first steps the industry can take to become more inclusive is to promote the ability for all people to have access to outdoor recreation.”

“Every child deserves the right to the outdoors — it’s like clean air and clean water,” Outdoor Foundation executive director Lise Aangeenbrug said.

DENVER — At the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in February, Camber Outdoors executives made a bold proclamation: The company would embark on a “first-of-its-kind” effort to boost diversity equity and inclusion within its workforce and called on the whole industry to follow suit.

There was just one problem: That effort was not actually the first of its kind.

Teresa Baker, founder of the African American Nature and Parks Experience, launched a similar push for inclusion in 2018 called the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge.…

Ken Amundson
Ken Amundson is managing editor of BizWest. He has lived in Loveland and reported on issues in the region since 1987. Prior to Colorado, he reported and edited for news organizations in Minnesota and Iowa. He's a parent of two and grandparent of four, all of whom make their homes on the Front Range. A news junkie at heart, he also enjoys competitive sports, especially the Rapids.
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